PDA

View Full Version : D&D 3.x Other Like a Thousand Dancing Lights (3.x Monsters)



Xallace
2015-06-13, 02:04 PM
I had a cute idea for a couple of fairy monsters, since fireflies are one of my favorite insects.

Faerie Flies, Dawn
Fine Fey (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d6 -8 (2 HP)
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 5 ft (1 Square), Fly 30 feet (Perfect)
Armor Class: 22 (+8 Size, +4 Dex), touch 22, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft / 0 ft
Special Attacks: Distraction, Light Illusion
Special Qualities: Glow, Immune to Weapon Damage, Swarm Traits
Saves: Fort -4, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 1 (-5), Dex 19 (+4), Con 3 (-4), Int 7 (-2), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 18 (+4)
Skills: Hide +25, Knowledge (any two, usually Nature and Geography) +3, Perform (Charades) +9
Feats: Improved Initiative
Environment: Temperate Forest, Temperate Plains
Organization: Solitary or Super Swarm (5-10)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Neutral Good
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment:-

Thousands of tiny insects flit silently through the air, casting a soft glow like the coming of the sunrise.

Dawn Faerie Flies are tiny fae that resemble mortal lightning bugs, but their carapaces shimmer with the colors of the rainbow and their tail ends cast a soft, golden glow as bright as a campfire. While each individual Faerie Fly is little more than a tiny, beautiful insect on its own, together they form a hive intelligence that is both cunning (for a bunch of bugs) and roguish.

Dawn Faerie Flies generally mind their own business, flittering about and doing whatever it is fireflies do. If asked a question the flies might be able to answer, however, they will come together and use their shape, lights, and minor supernatural powers to create visual answers.

Dawn Faerie Flies take well to kind-worded and soft-hearted travelers, and will usually help them on their journey in what minor ways they can. For villainous travelers, or just real jerks, the flies will confuse and insult to the best of their abilities.

Dawn Faerie Flies understand Common and Sylvan, but cannot speak.

Combat

Dawn Faerie Flies are not combatants, but they can use their minor powers of illusion to misdirect foes until they can escape.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a Faerie Fly swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 7 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Light Illusion (Sp): By working together, the swarm can cast a fairy glamour over itself. This is identical to a Minor Image spell, usable at will, except that the illusion must be cast within a space currently occupied by the swarm. If the swarm moves, the image moves with them. DC 16 to disbelieve. The caster level is 4th.

Glow (Ex): Dawn Faerie Flies produce a soft, pleasant golden glow, able to illuminate an area as though they were a large campfire. The swarm can extinguish or produce this glow at will.



Faerie Flies, Stellar
Fine Fey (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 2d6 -8 (2 HP)
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dexterity, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 5 ft (1 Square), Fly 30 feet (Perfect)
Armor Class: 22 (+8 Size, +4 Dex), touch 22, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-
Attack: -
Full Attack: -
Space/Reach: 10 ft / 0 ft
Special Attacks: Distraction, Fascinate
Special Qualities: Glow, Immune to Weapon Damage, Swarm Traits
Saves: Fort -4, Ref +7, Will +5
Abilities: Str 1 (-5), Dex 19 (+4), Con 3 (-4), Int 2 (-4), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 18 (+4)
Skills: Hide +25, Perform (Dance) +9
Feats: Improved Initiative
Environment: Temperate Forest, Temperate Plains
Organization: Solitary or Constellation (6-8)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Neutral
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment:-

A million tiny creature float lazily about through the air, resembling nothing so much as though the stars themselves had come down from the sky to dance in this field.

Stellar Faerie Flies are nocturnal fairy creatures that superficially resemble mortal fireflies, but their glow is a sharp, silver-white that is hypnotic to behold. Usually found on clear nights, they inhabit any place that other fairies might be found, especially in meadows, hills, or forest clearings. The presence of Stellar Faerie Flies can indicate that much more powerful fae abound.

Stellar Faerie Flies understand Sylvan and cannot speak.

Combat

Unlike most swarms, Stellar Faerie Flies deal no damage and are not combatants. Their powers of distraction and fascination can be exploited by cleverer creatures, however.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a Faerie Fly swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 7 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Fascinate (Su): The beautiful patterns of the star-like insects can be a considerable distraction to those caught within them. Any creature who ends its turn within the swarm must succeed on a DC 15 Will Save or be fascinated. Creatures can repeat the save every minute to break free, but are automatically freed if attacked or put in immediate danger. The fascination lasts for 5 rounds after the creature has left the swarm’s area (such as if they are dragged our or the swarm simply floats away) if not attacked.

Glow (Ex): Stellar Faerie Flies produce a sharp, beautiful white-blue glow, like thousands of twinkling stars. They can illuminate an area to low-light visibility out to 50 feet away from them.

Direfly
Large Vermin
Hit Dice: 4d8 (18 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 20 ft (1 Square), Fly 50 feet (Good)
Armor Class: 15 (-1 Size, +2 Dex, +4 Natural Armor), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+9
Attack: Bite +6 Melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: Bite +6 Melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft / 5 ft
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 feet, Glow, Vermin Traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 15 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 11 (+0), Int 1 (-5), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 14 (+2)
Skills: Hide +4
Feats: Improved Initiative, Run, Spring Attack [B]
Environment: Temperate Forest
Organization: Solitary, Family (2 plus eggs) or Swarm (5+)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Large), 9-15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment:-

The massive beetle before you munches happily on leaves and plants, occasionally taking flight to find another place to feed. Every so often, a bright light shines from its tail.

Direflies are oversized fireflies, about the size of a horse. Easily trainable and favored as mounts, these giants insects find great use in societies near their forest habitats. Paladins of these reaches are well known for their celestial direfly companions.


Combat

Being unaggressive creatures, direflies will not attack unless attacked first, and even then may take to flying away over engaging. A direfly who does fight will engage in hit-and-run tactics, buzzing in to take a chomp and flying away again.

Glow (Ex): The direfly’s tail glows with a brilliant light. As a free action, they may activate or deactivate their tail light, which functions as a torch. The light is a brilliant yellow.

Carrying Capacity: A direfly can carry 198 lbs. or less as a light load; 199 to 399 lbs. as a medium load; and 400 to 600 lbs. as a heavy load. A direfly can fly at its indicated speed while carrying no more than a light load. It can still fly while carrying a medium load, but its flight speed is reduced to 40 ft. (Average). A direfly cannot fly if carrying more than a medium load.

Direfly Eggs: Direfly eggs are small, perfectly spherical, pearl-like objects that glow with the same brilliant brightness that their tails do. Anyone who touches a direfly egg activates the glow, which remains until they stop touching the egg. Eggs can be found in small holes underground, where there may be anywhere between 10 and 20 of them. A DC12 Knowledge (nature) check is required to know what the eggs are and how they function.

Shiloh
2015-06-13, 09:14 PM
I really like this concept, probably because fey creatures fascinate me and I'm also a fan of fireflies.

I'd be interested to know how they fit in with other fey and various societies. You mention they can't speak, but they do have a fairly high intelligence, so I don't imagine they'd be used as pets or lesser companions by fey. Do they accompany more powerful fey, or do they just signify the possible presence of them?

Anyways, I like the idea and I'm curious about any more depth to them!

Zaydos
2015-06-14, 01:04 AM
Not got much useful criticism to give, but got to second the notion that I love this. Not least of all since I've always associated fireflies with fairies (as a small child I liked to believe that fire fairies rode fireflies). Keep up the good work.

Xallace
2015-06-14, 06:45 AM
Thanks both!



I'd be interested to know how they fit in with other fey and various societies. You mention they can't speak, but they do have a fairly high intelligence, so I don't imagine they'd be used as pets or lesser companions by fey. Do they accompany more powerful fey, or do they just signify the possible presence of them?

Stellar Fairie Flies are about as smart as dogs, and they enjoy hanging out where fairies are. Fairies in turn enjoy training them to form particular patterns, such as recreating the night sky at various times of year.

Dawn Faerie Flies are much more intelligent, and much more independent of other fairykind. In their case, inability to speak does not mean inability to communicate; Dawn Fairy Flies reshape their swarm and combine it with simple illusions to produce visual communication (such as becoming a hand to point someone in a particular direction or a bear to warn that one is nearby).

Shiloh
2015-06-14, 12:57 PM
Thanks both!
*snip*

In their case, inability to speak does not mean inability to communicate; Dawn Fairy Flies reshape their swarm and combine it with simple illusions to produce visual communication (such as becoming a hand to point someone in a particular direction or a bear to warn that one is nearby).

This is much along the lines of what I was wondering. Although I do get a humorous image of a firefly swarm making a shape like the school of fish on Finding Nemo...

Again, I love this concept!

Debihuman
2015-06-25, 07:10 AM
These are utterly delightful.

I just have a few of nits to pick:

Space is just 10 ft. (no need for 10x10 in 3.5) See other swarms in the online SRD for examples.

Flight doesn't need squares. There can be vertical movement.

It looks like there should be a saving throw for Light Illusion that is missing--DC 16 to disbelieve. I love that it is an at will ability.

Debby

Xallace
2015-06-25, 05:58 PM
Picks nitted! Thank you. I've been considering a third type (that glow with a bronzy light, since we have gold and silver) but I'm not sure what to do with them.

ShiningStarling
2015-06-27, 12:09 PM
These are simply delightful ^u^

That's all there really is to say on the matter, but I may just use these in an upcoming campaign...

Xallace
2015-07-01, 09:12 AM
Updated first post to include "Direflies," which I think would make fun paladin mounts.

Debihuman
2015-07-01, 09:35 PM
Why doesn't the direfly have natural armor?

Carrying capacity for direfly is this (based on large quadruped and Str 15): A direfly can carry 198 lbs. or less as a light load; 199 to 399 lbs. as a medium load; and 400 to 600 lbs. as a heavy load. A direfly can fly at its indicated speed while carrying no more than a light load. It can still fly while carrying a medium load, but its flight speed is reduced to 40 ft. (Average). A direfly cannot fly if carrying more than a medium load.

Xallace
2015-07-01, 09:43 PM
...why doesn't a direfly have natural armor?

Thank you for being so on top of this stuff, Debi. I'll edit the stat block once I'm off mobile.